In general, when a terminal device connected to a network is requested to access a node on the network by a node name, the terminal device converts the node name to an IP address so as to access the node using the IP address. Such conversion from a node name to an IP address is generally called “name resolution”.
Various types of manners that enable a terminal device to achieve the name resolution have been proposed. In a typical example for the name resolution, a hosts file describing a relationship between each node name and its corresponding IP address is prepared in advance in each device, and in each device a requested node name is converted to an IP address by referring to the hosts file. Such name resolution has a drawback in that it needs a troublesome user operation for preparing a hosts file describing the relationship between each node and an IP address, and in that there is a possibility a user will make an inappropriate hosts file by mistake. In addition, if an address of a node is changed, a user needs to modify the hosts file to prevent the user's terminal device from becoming unable to access the node.
In a network system disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 04-222041 (hereafter, referred to as JP HEI04-222041A), addresses of terminal devices in a network are managed by a host computer and each terminal device stores a local hosts file describing addresses of the terminal devices in the network. In the system, the host computer makes a comparison between an address used for a target device by a terminal device with a corresponding address stored therein each time the terminal device starts to perform communication. A local hosts file stored in a terminal device is updated by the host computer if the terminal device uses an old address for data communication with another device.
The configuration of the network system disclosed in JP HEI04-222041A is able to eliminate the need for maintenance of a hosts file and to prevent the hosts files from inappropriately updated by a user's by mistake.